Lamellar clarifier

ABSTRACT

The invention concerns a lamellar clarifier ( 1 ) comprising: a) a tank ( 3 ) of liquid to be clarified ( 5 ); b) means ( 7 ) for conveying said liquid ( 5 ) into a lower zone ( 9 ) of said tank ( 3 ); c) means ( 11 ) for evacuating said liquid ( 5 ) from an upper zone ( 13 ) of said tank ( 3 ); d) a plurality of clarifying plates (Di) mounted inside said tank ( 3 ), defining a plurality of passages extending between said lower ( 9 ) and upper ( 13 ) zones; and e) means for calibrating said liquid flow ( 5 ) between said passages and said upper zone ( 13 ). Said calibrating means comprise first tubular members (Ti) mounted inside said tank ( 3 ) and integral with said plates (Di), and second tubular members (Tj) arranged substantially staggered relative to said first tubular members (Ti).

The present invention relates to a lamellar clarifier.

The document FR 2 754 733 discloses a lamellar clarifier of the type comprising:

a) a tank for liquid to be clarified,

b) means for conducting said liquid into a lower region of said tank,

c) means for evacuating said liquid from an upper region of said tank,

d) a plurality of clarifier plates mounted inside said tank, said plates being substantially parallel and regularly spaced to define a plurality of passages between said lower region and said upper region, and

e) means for calibrating the flow of said liquid between said passages and said upper region, said calibration means comprising:

-   -   e1) first tubular members mounted inside said tank,     -   e2) second tubular members disposed substantially in a quincunx         arrangement relative to said first tubular members, and     -   e3) means for varying the distance between said second tubular         members and said first tubular members.

Although it may be used to treat most liquids charged with materials in suspension relatively effectively, a clarifier of the above kind has certain drawbacks.

It will be noted in particular that the clarifier plates, on the one hand, and the first tubular members, on the other hand, must be mounted and demounted separately, which takes a long time and therefore adds to both fabrication and maintenance costs.

An object of the present invention is to provide a clarifier that reduces the above drawbacks.

That object of the invention is achieved with a lamellar clarifier of the type comprising:

a) a tank for liquid to be clarified,

b) means for conducting said liquid into a lower region of said tank,

c) means for evacuating said liquid from an upper region of said tank,

d) a plurality of clarifier plates mounted inside said tank, said plates being substantially parallel and regularly spaced to define a plurality of passages between said lower region and said upper region, and

e) means for calibrating the flow of said liquid between said passages and said upper region, said calibration means comprising:

-   -   e1) first tubular members mounted inside said tank,     -   e2) second tubular members disposed substantially in a quincunx         arrangement relative to said first tubular members, and     -   e3) means for varying the distance between said second tubular         members and said first tubular members,         which clarifier is noteworthy in that said clarifier plates are         fastened to said first tubular members.

Thanks to these features, each clarifier plate and the associated first tubular member form a one-piece assembly that can be mounted and demounted quickly, which considerably reduces fabrication and maintenance costs compared to the prior art.

Other features of the clarifier according to the invention are defined in the appended claims.

The present invention also provides a method, as defined in the appended claims, of cleaning the foregoing clarifier.

Other features and advantages of the clarifier according to the invention will become apparent on reading the following description and examining the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the clarifier according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a partial view in section on the plane P in FIG. 1 of the clarifier in that figure when it is in an operating configuration,

FIG. 3 is analogous to FIG. 2, when the clarifier is in a cleaning configuration, and

FIGS. 4 and 5 are respectively analogous to FIGS. 2 and 3, for a second embodiment of the clarifier according to the invention.

In these figures, the same reference numbers designate identical or analogous units or sets of units.

Refer now to FIG. 1, in which it can be seen that a first embodiment of the clarifier 1 according to the invention comprises a tank 3 of liquid 5 to be clarified having, firstly, a liquid feed pipe 7 discharging into a lower region 9 of the tank 3 and, secondly, a liquid evacuation pipe 11 communicating with an upper region 13 of the tank 3, for example by way of a trough 15 for recovering the liquid 5.

Inside the tank 3 is a plurality of clarifier plates Di, of which only the first clarifier plate D1 can be seen in FIG. 1.

First tubular members Ti are fastened to these plates and second tubular members Tj floating in the liquid 5 under the first tubular members bear against the latter in a substantially quincunx arrangement.

Refer now to FIG. 2 for more details on the arrangement inside the tank 3 of the plates Di, the first tubular members Ti, and the second tubular members Tj.

As is apparent in that figure, the plates Di are substantially parallel and regularly spaced to define a plurality of passages Πi between the lower region 9 and the upper region 13 of the tank 3.

The first tubular members Ti are connected to the walls of the tank 3, preferably in a pendular manner, i.e. with the inside walls Pi of each of the members Ti resting on fingers Δi fastened to the walls of the tank 3.

Each tubular member Ti is split lengthwise to receive a plate Di, with conventional fixing means (not shown) such as pins fastening together the tubular members and the plates.

The second tubular members Tj are also connected to the walls of the tank 3, preferably in a pendular manner by means of fingers Δj positioned relative to the fingers Δi in such a manner that the second tubular members Tj are below the first tubular members Ti and bear against the latter in a substantially quincunx arrangement.

Spacer means Cj are preferably disposed between the first tubular members Ti and the second tubular members Tj.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the spacer means preferably comprise pairs of rings threaded over the second tubular members Tj near each of the ends of those members.

These rings maintain a predetermined and identical space between each of the first tubular members Ti and the associated second tubular members Tj.

The rings are preferably O-rings made from an elastomer material such as rubber.

The plates Di may be made of sheet metal, for example, and the tubular members Ti, Tj may be made of plastic material, for example.

The tubular members Ti, Tj are preferably closed at their ends, i.e. have two partitions closing the cavity defined by each of these members in the vicinity of its two ends.

It will also be noted that, as can be seen in FIG. 2, there is at least one bar 17, and preferably two parallel bars, in the lower region 9 of the tank 3.

The bars 17 are connected to each plate Di by a sliding pivot type link Li so that purely horizontal displacement of the bars (i.e. displacement thereof parallel to and at a constant distance from the bottom of the tank 3) varies the inclination of the plates Di, for example to change from an “operating” position depicted in FIG. 2, in which the plates Di are inclined to the vertical ZZ′, to a “cleaning” position depicted in FIG. 3, in which the plates Di are substantially parallel to that vertical.

Refer now to FIGS. 4 and 5, representing part of a second embodiment of the clarifier according to the invention.

As is apparent in these figures, this embodiment differs from the previous one in that the second tubular members Tj are no longer suspended in a pendular manner from the walls of the tank 3 under the first tubular members Ti, and are instead suspended above the first tubular members in a rigid manner by means of a plurality of arms Bj connected to a manifold 19 above the first tubular members.

The manifold 19 is mobile between an “operating” position depicted in FIG. 4, in which the second tubular members Tj bear in a substantially quincunx arrangement against the first tubular members Ti, and a “cleaning” position depicted in FIG. 5, in which the second tubular members Tj are moved away from the first tubular members Ti.

As represented in FIGS. 4 and 5, it is preferably inflatable membranes 21 a, 21 b disposed between the manifold 19 and the edges of the tank 3 that lower or raise the manifold into its operating and cleaning positions, respectively.

The operation and the advantages of the clarifier according to the invention are described next.

When the clarifier is operating, the path of the liquid to be clarified is that indicated by the arrows in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4.

As can be seen in FIG. 1, the liquid 5 to be clarified first enters the lower region 9 of the tank 3 via the liquid feed pipe 7.

Then, as can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 4, the liquid 5 to be clarified rises in the passages Πi, after which it infiltrates between the first tubular members Ti and the second tubular members Tj, thanks to the spaces maintained by the rings Cj.

The liquid 5 to be clarified therefore reaches the upper region 13 of the tank 3, after which it is evacuated from the tank via the trough 15 and the pipe 11.

As the liquid 5 flows upward along the plates Di, materials in suspension in the liquid are deposited on the plates Di, and most of these materials then slide toward the bottom of the tank 3.

However, a fraction of these materials remains stuck to the plates Di, forming a deposit known as sludge, making it necessary to halt the clarifying operation periodically and clean the plates Di.

To this end, the bars 17 (see FIG. 2) may first be actuated to move the plates Di to a vertical position, as represented in FIGS. 3 and 5.

Once the plates Di are in the substantially vertical position, some of the sludge collected on the plates falls to the bottom of the tank 3 under its own weight.

In the first embodiment (see FIG. 3), the level of the liquid 5 may then be lowered so that the second tubular members Tj, which float in the liquid, are moved away from the first tubular members Ti in the direction of the bottom of the tank 3, the travel being limited by the fingers Δj, however.

In the second embodiment (see FIG. 5), the membranes 21 a, 21 b may be inflated to raise the manifold 19 and thereby to move the second tubular members Tj away from the first tubular members Ti in the direction of the top of the tank 3.

This frees up access to the plates Di from the top of the tank 3, so that a water jet may be used to detach the remaining sludge stuck to the plates.

It will be noted that the step of lowering the level of the liquid 5 (first embodiment) or raising the second tubular members Tj (second embodiment) is optional, since the sludge stuck to the plates Di is not difficult to remove, so it may be sufficient to raise the plates to the vertical position to achieve the required cleaning effect.

Conversely, to clean the plates directly with a water jet, it is also possible to lower the level of the liquid 5 (first embodiment) or raise the second tubular members Tj (second embodiment) without first modifying the inclination of the plates Di.

Lumps of material known as floaters may become wedged in the passages Πi during operation of the clarifier according to the invention.

It is not necessary to halt operation of the clarifier to extract these floaters from the clarifier.

This is because, in the first embodiment, it suffices to exert a downward pressure on the second tubular member Tj concerned to remove the wedged floater. Note that downward travel of the tubular member is allowed by its pendular articulation to the walls of the tank 3.

In the second embodiment, it suffices to inflate the membranes 21 a, 21 b to raise the second tubular members Tj, to remove the wedged floater, and then immediately to deflate the membranes.

As will now be clear, calibration of the flow of liquid to be clarified at the outlet of the passages Πi defined by the clarifier plates Di may be achieved by simply moving the second tubular members Tj closer to the first tubular members Ti, the spacers Cj maintaining the spaces necessary for the liquid 5 to pass through.

The second tubular members Tj being structurally separate from the first tubular members Ti, the first and second members may be moved independently of each other for cleaning the clarifier, which does away with the heavy and costly actuation means of the prior art clarifier.

Depending on the type of cleaning required, the inclination of the plates Di may be modified (and thus the first tubular members Di pivoted) and/or the second tubular members Tj may be moved vertically.

Thanks to the fact that each clarifier plate Di and its associated first tubular member Ti form a one-piece assembly that can be mounted and demounted quickly, fabrication and maintenance costs may be considerably reduced compared to the prior art.

It will be noted that, in both the embodiments described, the pendular articulation of the first tubular members Ti to the walls of the tank 3 reduces the friction that arises on pivoting of the plates Di and thereby minimizes the weight of the structure for actuating the plates, namely the bars 17.

This reduction of friction also makes it possible to use simple sliding pivot type links Li, thanks to which the bars 17 may be moved at a constant distance from the bottom of the tank 3.

It will further be noted that rings Cj of greater or lesser thickness may be chosen, depending on whether the flow of liquid 5 between the passages Πi and the upper region 13 is required to be larger or smaller.

It will also be noted that, in the first embodiment, the fingers Δj avoid the second tubular members Tj falling to the bottom of the tank 3 (into the sludge) when it is emptied.

Of course, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described and shown, which are provided by way of illustrative and non limiting example.

For example, mounting the first tubular members Ti in a fixed manner to the interior of the tank 3 could be envisaged, in which case the clarifier plate Di would also be fixed.

Thus a variant of the first embodiment could also be envisaged in which the lamellar clarifier would comprise actuation means such as rods adapted to come into contact with the second tubular members and push them toward the bottom of the tank when it is required to clean the clarifier plates.

In this variant, it would no longer be necessary to lower the level of the liquid in the tank to move the second tubular members toward the bottom of the tank.

Thus a variant of the second embodiment could further be envisaged in which the second tubular members would be positioned under the first tubular members and connected to a manifold above the first tubular members, so that to move the second tubular members away from the first tubular members it would be necessary to lower the manifold.

Thus the first and second tubular members having non-circular sections could also be envisaged. 

1. Lamellar clarifier of the type comprising: a) a tank for liquid to be clarified, b) means for conducting said liquid into a lower region of said tank, c) means for evacuating said liquid from an upper region of said tank, d) a plurality of clarifier plates mounted inside said tank, said plates being substantially parallel and regularly spaced to define a plurality of passages between said lower region and said upper region, and e) means for calibrating the flow of said liquid between said passages and said upper region, said calibration means comprising: e1) first tubular members mounted inside said tank, e2) second tubular members disposed substantially in a quincunx arrangement relative to said first tubular members, and e3) means for varying the distance between said second tubular members and said first tubular members, wherein said clarifier plates are fastened to said first tubular members.
 2. Clarifier according to claim 1, wherein said first tubular members, and therefore said clarifier plates, are mobile in said tank.
 3. Decanter according to claim 2, wherein said first tubular members are mounted in said tank in a pendular manner.
 4. Clarifier according to either claim 2 or claim 3, further comprising means that together vary the inclination of said clarifier plates.
 5. Clarifier according to claim 4, wherein said inclination variation means comprise an actuation bar connected by a sliding pivot type link to said clarifier plates.
 6. Clarifier according to claim 1, wherein said first tubular members are fixed in said tank.
 7. Clarifier according to claim 1, further comprising spacer means adapted to maintain a predetermined space between said first tubular members and said second tubular members.
 8. Clarifier according to claim 7, wherein said spacer means comprise rings threaded onto said first tubular members or said second tubular members.
 9. Clarifier according to claim 8, wherein two rings are threaded onto each of said second tubular members.
 10. Clarifier according to either claim 8 or claim 9, wherein said rings are made from an elastomer material.
 11. Clarifier according to claim 8 or 9, wherein said rings are O-rings.
 12. Clarifier according to any preceding claim 1, wherein said second tubular members are adapted to float in said liquid below said first tubular members.
 13. Clarifier according to claim 12, further comprising actuation means for pushing said second tubular members toward the bottom of said tank.
 14. Clarifier according to either claim 12 or claim 13, wherein said second tubular members are articulated to said tank in a pendular manner.
 15. Clarifier according to claim 1, wherein said second tubular members are fixed to manifold means above said first tubular members, said manifold means being mobile between an operating position in which said second tubular members bear against said first tubular members and a cleaning position in which said second tubular members are moved away from said first tubular members.
 16. Clarifier according to claim 15, wherein said second tubular members are disposed above said first tubular members.
 17. Clarifier according to claim 15, wherein said second tubular members are disposed below said first tubular members.
 18. Clarifier according to any of claims 15 to 17, further comprising inflatable membrane means for moving said manifold from said operating position to said cleaning position.
 19. A method of cleaning a clarifier according to claim 12, comprising a step of lowering the level of said liquid in said tank to move said second tubular members away from said first tubular members in the direction of the bottom of said tank to render said clarifier plates accessible from the top of said tank.
 20. Method of cleaning a clarifier according to claim 11, comprising the step of pushing said second tubular members toward the bottom of said tank with said actuation means in order to render said clarifier plates accessible from the top of said tank.
 21. Method of cleaning a decanter according to claim 16, comprising the step of raising said manifold to move said second tubular members away from said first tubular members in the direction of the top of said tank in order to render said clarifier plates accessible from the top of said tank.
 22. Method of cleaning a clarifier according to claim 17, comprising the step of lowering said manifold to move said second tubular members away from said first tubular members in the direction of the bottom of said tank in order to render said clarifier plates accessible from the top of said tank.
 23. Method according to claims 19 for cleaning a clarifier according to claim 4, further comprising the step of placing said clarifier plates in a position substantially parallel to the vertical. 